Zosimos of Panopolis

The copy of "Keys of Mercy and Secrets of Wisdom" under consideration was written in two parts designated, "Part One, Introduction" by Al-Tughra'i", and Part Two, "From Keys of Wisdom by Zosimos" translated to Arabic by Ibn Al-Hassan Ibn Ali Al-Tughra'i'.

Zosimos of Panopolis was a gnostic philosopher. He was born in Panopolis, present day Akhmim in the south of Egypt, and flourished ca. 300 A.D. He lived in Alexandria, and traveled to many parts of the Hellenic world.

In about 300 AD, Zosimos provided one of the first definitions of alchemy as the study of “the composition of waters, movement, growth, embodying and disembodying, drawing the spirits from bodies and bonding the spirits within bodies.”

He wrote the oldest known books on alchemy, which he called "Cheirokmeta," using the Greek word for "things made by hand." Pieces of this work survive in the original Greek language and in translations into Syriac or Arabic.

Zosimos of Panopolis combined practical know-how and observations with theoretical and philosophical frameworks to create a discipline that involved both theory and practice.

Although Zosimos was a prolific writer, all his books have been lost and what remains of them today are mere passages and quotes written in the original Greek language, or translated to Syriac or Arabic.
Zosimos of Panopolis